Tear-away tab lids and liners, such as the one described herein, are commonly utilized as non-spill covers for containers housing liquid or granular products. Typically, such covers are useful on disposable coffee creamer packages, instant or microwavable foods or disposable beverage containers. Covers that utilize tear-away tabs are also commonly used on cups housing hot coffee, tea, chocolate, or soup to be drunk while the consumer is moving.
Containers using pull tear-away tab lids or liners have become prevalent in the marketplace and serve several useful functions. First, they serve to insure that no foreign matter enters the container, they maintain freshness and they prevent spillage. Second, they serve a safety function by preventing purposeful tampering with the product, because access to the interior of the container cannot be achieved without puncturing or tearing the lid.
However, with conventional tear-away tab lids, a common problem is that the tearing of the tear-away tab (by an upward and/or sideways tearing force by the consumer) can unintentionally tear and often lift the remaining body portion of the lid from the container. With conventional tear-away tab arrangements often times the severing of the tear-away tab from the remaining lid is difficult to start. Further, even if successfully started, as the tear-away tab is torn away from the remaining lid, the severing or tearing action is not clean and causes unwanted tearing further into the lid. Consumers may decide to bypass the tab and simply pull off the entire lid or may use a knife or other utensil to poke a hole through the lid. Such difficulties with conventional tear-away tab lids, may negatively impact the consumer's opinion of the product and counter-effect the usefulness of these types of lids and liners.
Therefore, there is a need for an inexpensive lid or liner with a tear-away tab having an improved tearing capability. The tear-away tab should facilitate severance of a tear-away tab without tearing the lid.